


A Witch By Any Other Name

by Do_Whatever_You_Want_Im_Super_Dead



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, I'll add on as the story goes on, Witchcraft, it'll be obvious when you see it, slight AU, slightly different from the books
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 10:06:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27469210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Do_Whatever_You_Want_Im_Super_Dead/pseuds/Do_Whatever_You_Want_Im_Super_Dead
Summary: Emily Amethyst Smith recently moved to England with her mother after the divorce from her father. While settling in, a man visits and tells the child and her Muggle witch mother that she is an actual witch, like himself. While Emily is excited about learning how to control her own magical powers while learning more about Muggle witchcraft, Emily finds herself torn between the world she's known all her life and the world she is learning to call home. With a new enemy on the rise in the wizarding world that threatens the fragile peace between Wizardkind and Muggles, Emily must learn to be the bridge between worlds - or face the destruction of both homes.
Kudos: 9





	1. The Move and the Visit

**Author's Note:**

> If while scrolling through Harry Potter fanfiction and you happened across mine and gave it a chance, thank you! This whole work is actually inspired by a TikTok that I watched earlier today that brought out my creative spark!
> 
> I've been on a SLUMP for the past... gods know how long, but I'm very happy to be writing again!
> 
> With all that being said, I will be including the characters from the original Harry Potter, but because I disagree with some of JK's choices for their lives, I decided to make a few changes of my own, so be on the lookout for those!
> 
> With that out of the way, on with the first chapter! Please leave a review after reading and tell me what you think!

Ever since I could remember, I was always aware that magic was a thing. I mean, my mother was a practicing witch and taught me everything I knew from the moment I could open my eyes. We celebrated every Sabbat, we worked with Hecate and Athena and other deities as well as some Fae who had taken residence with us, and for a long time, my father lived with us, as well. He and Mom were married, after all, and I thought they loved each other.

Then came the divorce.

I was about 8 when the proceedings started. Dad had just been caught having an affair, and Mom filed for divorce and kicked him out of the house. She told me what I could understand, and I was on her side all the way through the two years of court proceedings – a lot less than some, so my mother felt lucky. I never really understood, but I could tell that she needed to be free of him. “Bad energy,” she’d always say about him around those times.

By the time I was turning 11, the proceedings finally finished up in my mom’s favor. She got to keep me and all our stuff and even got Dad to pay her child support and stuff, especially when she decided to move to England with me. Well, not really _decide_ , but she worked for an international company who wanted to move to England to work there in London. So we packed everything up and said goodbye to the Fae who wished to stay in the States, then went on a plane going to London.

Thankfully, the company Mom worked for provided her an apartment, though it was a bit small. Apparently that’s normal for London? Anyway, since Mom worked for the company, she didn’t have to pay rent, so she seemed happy about that.

But back to magic. Another reason I knew it existed was actually because of a few mishaps of spells my mother would try to teach me. When I was six, she taught me a spell she used to make a home seem more inviting, but when I added the cinnamon, fire appeared in my hand and burned the couch! Mom was more shocked than furious, but she and I worked quickly to put it out, then decided together that we would only do spellwork outside so that didn’t happen again. Strange stuff kept happening to me, and my mom and I always tried to figure out what it was so we could find a way for me to control it. I even made a wand when I was 9 with the help of the Fae that certainly helped a lot.

Anyway, flash forward to when we moved. Mom and I set up our apartment pretty quickly, and we did whatever we needed to to make it feel as much like home as we could. I even got to decorate my room as I liked, short of repainting the walls. We set up our sacred space in the apartment, and we even celebrated Midsummer much like we would back at our old home.

A week after Midsummer, though, a strange man knocked on our door. Mom didn’t want to let him in at first, especially when he claimed to be from the “Ministry of Magic,” but when he lit his wand up like a flashlight with a word and even made a silver dog appear from it, she let him in.

“Thank you so much for letting me in, Miss Amber,” he said, wiping his feet on the front mat. “I really do appreciate it. Is Emily home?”

“She is. Emily!” my mom called, and I came out quickly.

“What is it?” I asked, curious; then I noticed the strange man. He had red hair and wore some old-fashioned clothing, but was very friendly.

“Oh, well, I came to give you and your mum something, and I need to tell you both something that goes with that,” the man answered. “Sorry, I’m not usually the one doing this, but everyone else is busy doing other things, so I volunteered to do it. Anyway… you’re Emily, correct?”

“Yeah, my name’s Emily.”

“Well, Emily, this may come as a shock to you, but… you are a witch.” He looked at both me and my mom with a fair amount of preparation, as if expecting us to tell him that he’s a crazy person and that he should get out of there.

“Yeah, we both are, how did you know that, we just moved here,” I said in rapid succession, not really giving time for even an implied period or whatever.

The man looked at me funny, then laughed. “Oh, yeah, Hermione mentioned that earlier. No, I mean, like from the movies,” he said, holding up his wand. “I’m a wizard in the same respect. It’s a bit different from Muggle witchcraft, but still magic.”

My mom looked at him, but sighed. “Well… that would explain the dog coming from your wand, Mister…?”

“Oh, sorry! Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Auror from the Ministry of Magic.” The man gave a little bow in his seat before straightening back up. “But yes, I’m a wizard and you’re a witch. I’m here to give you this,” he handed me an old-fashioned envelope sealed with a wax seal like my mom sometimes uses for spells, “and help you as much as I can before you begin your schooling.”

“Schooling?” my mom asked, sounding suspicious.

“So she can learn to control her powers,” he quickly explained. “Powers like hers tend to get particularly dangerous if they are left alone without any training whatsoever. And since she is born to non-magical parents such as yourself, she has to come to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn how to properly control her magic.” He sighed. “I know it can be a bit much to take in, but I assure you that as her mother, you are still very much allowed to interact with our world due to your relationship with your daughter. Trust me, Hermione has helped me prepare for this as much as she could, so if you have any questions, just ask me, and I’ll try to help you out.”

My mom looked at me, then at Mr. Weasley. “Can we have a moment alone to speak?” she asked him.

“Oh, yes, absolutely. Do you need me to go out or –“

“No, we’ll just go into the next room, thank you.” My mom then led me to her room and shut the door behind us. “I want this to be your decision, Emily. I know that you have some strange magic that isn’t seen in our kind of witchcraft. He seems to be telling the truth, and I know that we’re still adjusting to life here in England. Do you want to go to this wizard school? If you don’t, I entirely understand. If you do, I also understand and am behind you 100% of the way.”

I thought about it a moment, then said, “Maybe this is my chance to be normal. I mean, if there are other people like me, people who have this kind of thing, then maybe that’s where I belong.” I looked up at her. “I’ll go, Mom. I’ll miss you.”

We both shared a big hug for a moment before letting go and going back into the living room, where Mr. Weasley was pulling out a thermos with some hot liquid in it and drinking it. He noticed we came back into the room and asked, “So?”

“I’ll go, Mister Weasley,” I replied, deciding to show that this was my decision that my mom let me make. “When do we have to go?”

He laughed and said, “You’ve got a good almost two months before you need to board the train! You’ll still have the option to go back home in the holidays and be with your mum, but there is something you have to know. This kind of magic that you’ll be learning at Hogwarts is not allowed to be practiced outside of school. I’m sure your Muggle witchcraft is exempt from the rule, of course, given that it is not of our world.”

“Will we need to do any shopping or anything to prepare?” my mom asked, ever the planner.

“Well, the letter that I gave you has the complete shopping list for what your daughter will need for school, and thankfully Hermione and I are going shopping soon for our own kids’ school supplies next week if you would like to join us!” he replied cheerfully. “Just make sure to read over everything and remember that it’s not going to be like the magic you’re used to.”

“Next week sounds delightful,” my mom said with a smile. “Where and at what time?”

“I just reckon I pick you up while Hermione goes to Diagon Alley with our kids and I take you two where you need to go! But we’re going next Wednesday at around noon, if you’re available at that time. It tends to be the least busy on that day of the week.”

“That would be perfect. I actually have next Wednesday off, so I suppose we’ll see you at our door around noon then to take us there?”

“Absolutely right!” He stood up and held out a hand, which Mom took in a shake. “Well, it was a pleasure to meet you both, and welcome to the Wizarding world! I’ll see you next Wednesday around noon!”

“It was wonderful to see you, too, Mr. Weasley.”

She nudged me, and I said, “See you later, Mr. Weasley!”

He chuckled and turned, leaving the apartment and shutting the door behind him. I turned to Mom and said, “You think this has any spells on it?”

“No, sweetie, I’m sure it’s just an ordinary envelope. Let’s open it and see what’s inside!”

We went to the table and took out the letter opener, carefully opening the envelope so the wax seal didn’t break too badly (it looked really pretty and I wanted to save it) and read the letter that was inside.

“Dear Miss Emily Amethyst Smith,

“We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

“H. Weasley, Headmistress.”

There was a second page with the letter with a long list of school supplies, and it was really weird, especially at first glance.

“Where are we going to find all of this…” my mom asked out loud. “This is all… there’s so much here!”

“Well, Mr. Weasley said he’d take us to Diagon Alley with his kids,” I mentioned. “Maybe that’s where we go to shop?”

“It’s worth a shot, Emily.”


	2. The Wand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily and her mother go to Diagon Alley with Mr. Weasley and meet his wife and kids. The first stop is Olivander's to get wands for both Rose and Emily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, two chapters in two days?! I must be a madman!
> 
> Anyway, I'm very excited to write this story, even if it doesn't get a lot of publicity. If you decided to get this far, then thank you from the bottom of my heart!
> 
> As always, please leave a review and tell me what you think!

About a week passed, and we almost forgot that the visit from Mr. Weasley actually happened. The only thing keeping us remembering that it actually happened was the letter still sitting on our coffee table. The strange shopping list for what I would need was right next to it, although my mom and I agreed to make an additional list of things I would need to pack if only to get myself comfortable when I got there, which sat right under the first shopping list.

Sure enough, Wednesday came, and my mom and I dressed in our nice witchy clothes we would wear for a warm Sabbat, and I even wore my pointy hat with my star chart carefully embroidered along the top of the brim. Around noon, a knock came at our door, and Mr. Weasley was there, as promised.

“Hello again, Miss Amber!” he greeted my mom, who answered the door, then he looked at me and my mom and said, “Wow, you two look stunning!”

“Thank you, Mr. Weasley,” my mom answered. “Shall we go? Didn’t you say that we had to go somewhere?”

“Ah, right! Ah, do you two happen to have a fireplace? The Floo Network is the fastest way to travel in the Wizarding world.”

“Ah, we do have a fireplace, but what is the Floo Network?”

“Oh, right, you’re a Muggle! The Floo Network is a way we travel through fireplaces. I’ll show you, I brought some floo powder from home.”

My mom let him in and shut the door behind him, then showed him our fireplace, which wasn’t the biggest but large enough to at least fit me while I stood up.

He smiled and said, “All right, size really isn’t an issue! Now, let’s all at least get a foot and our heads in…” We followed his instructions, albeit with a strange look that I’m sure both Mom and I shared. He took out a small plastic bag filled with green powder and took a bunch out into his hand, filling it almost completely as he closed the bag, then his hand. He sighed, saying, “I’ve been doing this all my life, and I’m still not used to it…” Then his tone changed to one of conviction as he said, loudly and clearly, “Diagon Alley!” before throwing the green powder down into the fireplace, which sent us all up through the chimney.

Just as suddenly as we went up, we went back down, landing in a beautifully-decorated small side-street (by London standards) packed full of various shops and storefronts.

“Welome to Diagon Alley!” Mr. Weasley said as we looked around in awe.

“This is what your world looks like?” my mom asked, bewildered. “It’s beautiful.”

“Well, not all of it looks like this, but a few good places like this definitely do!” he replied before cupping his hands around his mouth and calling out, “Hermione! Hermione, I’m here!”

A young woman with darker skin, poofy hair, and two kids in tow came over to us through a small crowd of people.

“Ronald! You’re here earlier than I thought!” the woman said, smiling and showing her somewhat buck teeth. She smiled at us and said, “You must be Misses Amber and Emily Smith. Pleased to meet you. I’m Hermione Weasley, headmistress at Hogwarts, where you will be attending this upcoming term, Emily?”

“Pleased to meet you, Mrs Weasley!” I said, holding out a hand to shake, which she took with a gentle shake.

“It will be _Professor_ Weasley once you’re at school, Miss Smith. I imagine it’s strange to say since you’re from America, but I’m sure that you’ll adjust just fine!” she said before gesturing to the kids. “This is Hugo,” a boy who looked just a little older than me with his father’s insane red hair and his mother’s darker skin, “and Rose,” a girl who looked about my age and shared her mother’s hair and her father’s pale coloration. “They’ll be going to Hogwarts as well, and Rose is in your year!”

“Don’t you mean her grade?” my mother asked, confused.

“Well… I guess so,” Miss – _Professor_ Weasley said. “I suppose you would call it that in America… I’ll have a lot to learn about you two!” She looked to me and said, “I’m a Muggleborn, too, so don’t feel as if you’re an odd one out!”

My mom smiled warmly and said, “Well, it’s comforting to know that the headmistress of my daughter’s new school is a Muggleborn like her. I trust that my daughter’s schooling will be in good hands.”

“Believe me, Miss Smith, it will be,” Professor Weasley said reassuringly. “We’ve stood through war and peace, and we’ve improved a lot since the Battle of Hogwarts. Believe me, this is the best place for your daughter to learn magic.”

“It’s a boarding school, correct?” my mom asked. “Since she’s taking a train there and the list included clothes as part of her shopping list. And a battle? What happened? Will she be safe?”

“Ah, yes, it is. Don’t worry about protection, we’ve improved the protection wards on our school since the Battle, and they are specially designed so that those who wish to attack the school will not be able to get in, even if they find the school. As for the battle…” She looked at her husband with a look of concern, and he nodded, so she sighed and continued. “It was back in 1999. A dark wizard named Voldemort had risen to power again and had his Death Eaters attack the school. Ronald, Harry and I fought in it. Harry was ultimately the one to defeat him by deflecting his own Killing Curse back at him. I’m sorry, but I don’t like to talk about the details. It’s still… it’s still a lot to handle, even after all these years.”

My mother nodded. “You should probably see a psychologist about that,” she suggested. “PTSD is something that should be treated, and after fighting in a battle, I’m sure you have plenty of problems from it.”

“I would, but what Muggle psychologist would believe me?” Professor Weasley asked. “And there really aren’t any wizard or witch psychologists in our world.”

“I still think you should at least go to therapy. Are there wizards or witches living in the Muggle world that could help?”

“Perhaps. I’ll definitely look into that, thank you. Anyway, let’s go away from that subject. We’re here to go school shopping after all!”

“Agreed. Emily, could you pull out the shopping list and read out what we’ll need to get?” my mom asked me.

I took off my backpack and pulled out the parchment, looking over it again. The list read as follows:

“First-year students will require:

  * Uniform 
    * Three Sets of Plain work robes (Black).
    * One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear.
    * One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar).
    * One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings).
    * Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags at all times.
  * Books 
    * The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk
    * A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
    * Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
    * A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
    * One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
    * Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
    * Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
    * The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
  * Other Equipment 
    * 1 Wand
    * 1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
    * 1 set of glass or crystal phials
    * 1 telescope
    * 1 set of brass scales
    * Students may also bring an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad.



PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.”

It was a very strange list, but as I started reading it out loud, Professor Weasley laughed a little. “Don’t worry, there’s a reason Ronald asked you two to join us for shopping. Come on, we’re getting Rose her wand first, and I think we should do that for you too, Miss Smith. How about it?”

I looked at my mom, then she said, “I’m sure the wand you get here will be much different than the one you made in America with the Fae. Maybe it’ll be for their kind of magic?”

“Ah, yes, I forgot you were a Muggle witch,” Professor Weasley remarked. “But yes, it is significantly different than a Muggle wand.”

My mom nodded. “I figured as such. Our magick and your magic are both very different, but I’m sure there’s enough similarities to allow for growth of knowledge.”

Hermione smiled and laughed a little. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’d be in Ravenclaw, Miss Smith!”

My mom looked at her, confused. “Ravenclaw?”

“One of the four Houses of Hogwarts. At the beginning of the term, all of the first years are divided into one of the four Houses, which they will be in for the rest of their time at Hogwarts. There’s Hufflepuff, known for their loyalty; Ravenclaw, for wit and intelligence; Slytherin, for cunning and ambition; and Gryffindor, the brave and chivalrous. Ronald and I were Gryffindors back in school, and that’s where we met.”

“But we didn’t become friends until Harry and I saved your arse from that troll in the girl’s bathroom!” Mr. Weasley added teasingly.

Professor Weasley rolled her eyes, still smiling. “Must you bring that up?”

“I’m just keeping the record straight!” he protested, a smile on his face. Clearly this was a point of fun between them.

“In any case, we better get going,” my mom pointed out. “I’m sure you are very busy today, Professor Weasley.”

“I actually have the day off, but you are right,” Professor Weasley agreed. “Well then! Off to Olivander’s!”

She led us to a small shop that seemed a bit dusty, and led me and my mom in after Mr. Weasley took Hugo to start their school shopping for the year. The place seemed a little dark, lit only by candles, and lined with shelves upon shelves of small boxes. An old man sat at the desk at the front.

“Ah, Hermione!” he exclaimed, standing up and smiling upon noticing Professor Weasley. “Congratulations again on becoming Headmistress at Hogwarts! Here to get Rose’s wand, I presume?”

“Yes, I am, and there’s another first year student here to get their wand, too! Miss Emily Smith,” she introduced me, pushing me and Rose forward towards the old man.

“Well, you’ll have to help me get the wands I think will choose them, Miss Weasley. I’m not as young as I used to be,” he said, walking out from behind the desk using a cane.

“I’d love to help,” she said, going to one of the shelves. “Which ones?”

He thought about it a bit, looking closely at the two of us, then called out, “Bookshelf C, Shelf 3, Boxes 234 and 355!”

She quickly got the two boxes, which were long and a simple black with a lid. “Here you go. Which one to which girl?”

“234 to Rose, and 355 to Miss Emily.”

She handed the boxes to us, and I opened up my box carefully, noting the dust on it. Clearly it had been sitting up there for a while. Inside the box was a beautiful red wand with a handle carved to look like vines crawling up the wand. I picked it up carefully, not sure what to do with it. I looked over to Rose, who waved her wand – and shot a ball of light into a pole, causing an impact.

“No, no, not that one then,” the man said as her mom took the box and the wand back, then looked at me.

I took the hint and waved my wand a little, which caused much the same thing, so she took mine, as well.

She went back to the shelf, and asked, “Which ones this time?”

The man thought to himself again, then said, “Bookshelf A, Shelf 5, Box 2313 for Rose, Bookshelf F, Shelf 1, Box 6 for Miss Emily!”

She quickly got the boxes and handed the corresponding ones to each of us, then stood back with the old man as we opened the boxes. The wand in my box this time was a much different color, an almost ashy wood, and a little longer, and its handle had a skull on the bottom. Creepy, but okay. I gave it a wave like I did the last one, but this time bright yellow sparks came out and almost set Rose on fire. Panicking, I threw the wand to the side and reached to Rose, and water came out of my hands and put out the fire – and drenched her.

“I’m so sorry! It was an accident!” I yelled in panic, already backing away to my mother out of fear.

Rose laughed a little. “It’s all right! It wasn’t your fault! And at least I’m not on fire!” she replied, a smile gracing her features.

Professor Weasley chuckled and waved her own wand, making Rose dry again. “That one definitely didn’t choose you, Miss Smith.”

Rose then waved her wand, and red sparks came out of the tip this time, but they didn’t set anything on fire – just put on a cool fireworks show.

“That’s your wand, then!” the old man said with a smile to Rose. He turned to me and looked over me again. “Are you sure you don’t have a wand yet?”

I pulled my witchy wand out of my backpack and showed it to him. “I made this with the Fae’s help,” I explained. “My mom suggested I get a real one here since I need a wand to use in the Wizarding world.”

The man took it gently and looked it over carefully, as if assessing it. “Apple wood, wrapped in twine and embedded with clear quartz, amethyst, sodalite, rose quartz, citrine, carnelian and hematite,” he said, sounding very professional and like he knew exactly what he was doing. “And… is that… I’ve rarely seen a wand with this core before. Only made a few myself.”

“What kind of core is it?” Professor Weasley asked.

“Banshee tears. It’s the rarest of them all. How did you find banshee tears?”

I looked around to everyone, then said, “Wait… that was a _banshee_?!?!?!?! I knew it was a Fae who kept appearing to me but a banshee?!”

My mom thought hard, then said, “You made that wand when you were about 9, right?” I nodded. “Remember what happened not long after that?”

I thought about it, then a tear fell from my face. “Auntie.”

My mom nodded. “Banshees appear to people whose loved ones are about to die, remember?” I nodded as she wiped my tears away. “That’s why you saw her.”

She gave me a hug as the old man walked up to my mom. “Your daughter has some real talent in her, and I’m sure you are a part of the reason for that. I’ve never met a Muggle witch before, but I’m sure that you would make a wonderfully talented witch of our world if you were magical in our way.”

My mom chuckled as I let go, feeling a little better. “Thank you. I’m honored to hear that.”

He handed my wand back to me and said, “Give it a wave.”

I did, and the same red sparks appeared, although the wood cracked just a little.

He took it and said, “It has indeed chosen you, though it needs some work to keep it from breaking apart while you’re at school. Come back next week, and I should have it strengthened by then. How’s that sound?”

My mom said, “That would be lovely. How much will it be?”

“I’ll pay for this one,” Professor Weasley said. “We still need to take you two to Gringotts to change your currency to Wizard currency, and I’m happy to help out.”

With that, she paid for both her daughter’s wand and my own, and we were out the door.

“Olivander is the best in the business,” she explained to my mom and me when we left. “Every wizard and witch in England and even beyond have gotten their wands from him. Wandmaking is his specialty.”

“I’m glad to have trusted him to help with my daughter’s wand. Although I presume that wand-making isn’t very easy for wizards and witches.”

“It isn’t. It’s a very obscure branch of magic, and only a few ever become good enough at it to start up a business like Olivander, and he’s the best. I’m surprised your daughter made her own wand.”

“It’s a thing for Muggle witches,” my mom explained. “Our wands are to help focus our energy when we’re doing our spellwork, and we all either buy them or make them. She made hers, and I’m sure she didn’t do it in a way that was safe for the Wizarding world’s standards.”

“Oh, I’m more than surprised she did it without all the magical theory behind it,” Professor Weasley remarked. “That in and of itself is extremely remarkable, and means that she could be a very naturally gifted witch. I’ll be looking forward to seeing her studies as she goes on in Hogwarts.”

“Oh, I’m sure. What was that house with intelligence again?”

“Ravenclaw.”

“Right. Well, I’m sure that Emily will end up in Ravenclaw with her skills then.”

“We’ll see.”


	3. School Shopping and Zuko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily and her mother finish school shopping for her, then decide to get Emily a pet - an owl she decides to name after one of her favorite characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters in three days! I am on a ROLL! 
> 
> Anyway, here's to hoping someone will read this! As always, leave a review and tell me what you think!
> 
> And yes, I decided to go with an Avatar character. No, this does not mean that this will be crossed over, it's just a character name used for a pet.

Our next stop was Gringott’s Bank, and it was absolutely MASSIVE! There was so much going on that I couldn’t really even handle everything that I was seeing right then.

“I know, right?!” Rose said as she saw me looking in awe. “There even was a dragon guarding the vaults once!”

I looked at her in shock. “You’re kidding. A dragon?!”

“Yep! A dragon! But Mom and Dad and Uncle Harry all set it free!”

I looked at Professor Weasley with a wide-eyed expression. She did that?! There was a lot about her that I didn’t know yet.

Speaking of which, she was helping Mom at the counter to exchange Muggle money for Wizard money. The money looked weird, but I figured that was cause it just wasn’t America. I’d learned since the move that a lot of things weren’t like in America.

They soon moved away from the counter, my mother and Professor Weasley satisfied.

“Well, the next stop is robes. Might as well go through everything on the list from top to bottom,” my mom said, looking at the list I let her hold.

Professor Weasley nodded. “Rose needs to have girl’s robes, so she can’t really use Hugo’s old ones. The two are a bit different. And don’t worry, they all have pockets.”

I sighed in relief. “At least they have pockets. Mom and I usually have to search EVERYWHERE for clothes that fit me that have pockets,” I said.

My mom smiled at me. “In any case, lead the way, Mrs. Weasley.”

“It would be my pleasure,” she replied, leading the way out the door and into the street until we got to a seamstress’ shop.

The rest of the day went pretty much okay. I loved looking at all of the books in the bookshop, and my mom even let me choose a few that weren’t on my shopping list for personal reading, though Professor Weasley made sure that they wouldn’t be too advanced for a student my age.

All of the stores were lit up brightly with candles and magical lights, completely without electricity! My mom and I both agreed that although a bit strange, we loved the way that they all looked and felt. It was like we’d found a second home here in London, and we made sure to agree to come back someday when we could just relax and window-shop.

Soon enough, we were at the end of the list, and everyone was hungry. Mr. Weasley had caught up with us in the potions shop, and my mom and I were talking, deciding where to go in a part of the alley off on our own while they talked to a man with black, messy hair that never seemed to stay nice, tannish skin, and a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, and a woman with long, red hair who towed along three children.

“Well, we don’t know where in London we are, so we can’t really say where we can go for dinner,” she pointed out. “I think I saw some restaurants here in Diagon Alley, though. Maybe while we’re here, we should get some of that floo powder that Mr. Weasley used earlier…”

“Maybe we should focus on food first, Mom,” I said. “I’m starving!”

My mom laughed. “Well, maybe we should ask the Weasleys where we can get some food. They’ll probably know more than we could find out on our own.”

Mr. Weasley seemed to overhear us and called out, “Hey! We’re just about to go to Harry’s to get some dinner that Ginny just finished cooking. Mind coming with? They said it was okay!”

My mom and I looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

“We would love to,” my mom answered.

“Brilliant!” Mr. Weasley said, gesturing us over. “We just have to make one last stop before we go over, and this one is for you two. Unless you want to get Emily a pet for school?”

My mom looked at him with a strange expression. “I don’t know… Emily has never had an actual pet before.”

“Mom, the list says that I can bring an owl, a cat, or a toad!” I try to convince her. “I would take good care of it, I promise! I’ll feed it every day, I’ll play with it, I’ll do whatever I need to do with it!”

My mom looked at me nervously when Professor Weasley pointed out, “If she gets an owl, you two can keep in contact while she is at school. Technology still doesn’t quite work yet in there – we’re still trying to figure that out, hopefully, we will by Christmas – but I’m sure that she will prove to be quite trustworthy with her pet, whichever one she chooses.”

My mom looked at me and kneeled so we were at eye level. “Emily Amethyst Smith, do you promise to take care of this pet, keep it healthy, keep it fed, and raise it with responsibility?”

I looked at my mom dead in the eye and said, “I promise. I’ll love it with all my heart and take care of it like you do for me.”

She smiled and nodded before standing up and looking at the Weasleys. “Let’s go to the pet shop, then.”

Mr. Weasley led us to the pet shop, where we were met with a cacophony of hoots, screeches, meows, and other various animal noises. I looked around to see a menagerie of animals, although they were somewhat neatly organized into what kinds of pets there were available.

“All right, remember, Emily: an owl OR a cat OR a toad,” my mom reminded me as I started looking around, reaching out and trying to feel which pet I had the biggest connection to.

I walked around for a little and found myself by a rather large owl with big eyes that looked directly at me, what looked like a beard of feathers, and sharp points on top of its head. It was brown and white and looked a lot like an owl from back in America. I reached out my hand, and it leaned towards me, and we brushed against each other. I knew that it was the one I was connected with – the one I wanted.

“Mom? I found the one I want!” I called out.

My mom came over and smiled. “Well, hello, big fella.” She looked at the price tag and smiled. “And he’s affordable, too. Let’s adopt this one.”

We walked around and got everything we would need to take care of it, then told the sales lady that the owl was the one we wanted.

“First-year student at Hogwarts?” she asked me as she took my mom’s payment and took down the cage where the owl was perched.

“Yep!” I replied enthusiastically.

“Well, you’re in luck! This guy is an easy breed to take care of, originated all the way across the pond! His species liked to stay around the Appalachian Mountains, although they’ve been found all the way to Massachusetts and Delaware!” she said cheerily, handing my mom the cage. “And he’s already well-trained! You will have an easy time taking care of him and sending messages back home to your family from school!”

“So he is a male owl?” my mom asked.

“Oh, yes! We like to call him Loki though – he likes playing tricks. Of course, you may name him whatever you wish!”

My mom looked at me. “Well? What do you want to name him?”

I thought about it, looking at him carefully. “I think… I think I want to name him…” I then noticed that the feathers on his left side were tinged slightly with red and black. “I’ll name him Zuko!”

“After the Avatar character?” my mom asked with a chuckle, leaving the sales lady confused.

“Yep! Look, his feathers even look like his scar!”

She looked and laughed. “So they do! All righty then, Zuko! Welcome to the Smith family!”

“I’m sorry, but what is Avatar?” the sales lady asked.

“It’s a show we like to watch together,” my mom explained quickly. “I’d love to stay and chat, but we have places to be. I’ll be in to see you again!”

With that, we left the store, and Mr. Weasley took us to the chimney where we came in. He took some green floo powder out of the pot by the chimney, saying, “We’ll need to go into the Ministry of Magic’s offices to sort out this next part. You have your address memorized, correct?”

“Yes, I do,” my mom replied. “What’s going on?”

“I’ll need to get your flat listed on the Floo Network,” he explained. “That way you can travel from your place to anywhere on the Floo Network, including other Wizard homes and Diagon Alley.”

My mom nodded. “Okay. Take us there, then.”

With that, we all crammed into the chimney, where Mr. Weasley threw down the green powder while saying, “Ministry of Magic, third floor!”

And with that, we were off.


	4. The Ministry of Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily, her mom, and Mr. Weasley all arrive at the Ministry of Magic, where Ms Smith registers her flat in the Floo Network and they learn a little more about the Wizarding world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit that this chapter is PURE exposition to the Wizarding world that Emily is coming into. I wanted to get some things out of the way, like how Emily's mother is so welcomed into different facets of Emily's new life as a witch in the Wizarding world.
> 
> As always, leave a review and tell me what you think!

The first thing we saw when we stepped out of the green flames into the Ministry was a long and multi-floor white hall lined with fireplaces and columns, rails the only thing keeping the crowd of people from pushing each other off the ledge by accident. Many of them were in suits and dresses, while others wore strange wizard robes, still others looked like ordinary people like my mom and me.

“Welcome to the Ministry of Magic!” Mr. Weasley said as he gestured to the hall. “There’s more than this, of course, but this is the main entrance to the general public. Come on, follow me, the office where we need to go is this way.”

We followed him, my mom still holding Zuko’s cage as we went through the crowds of people to a hallway, where Mr. Weasley led us down to an office with a rather ordinary-looking door with a gold plate that said, “FLOO NETWORK OFFICE.”

The office looked pretty boring, if I’m to be honest. Just a guy wearing a worn suit sitting at a big oak desk filling out paperwork. There were posters on the wall about the Floo Network, but other than that it wasn’t very interesting.

He looked up at us and smiled. “Ah, Ronald Weasley! And I assume you two to be the Smiths!” He seemed very friendly, and even held a hand out for me to shake, which I did.

“We are,” my mother replied, also taking his hand for a shake.

“They’re here to get their chimney registered under the Floo Network, Ed,” Mr. Weasley explained. “We’ve only used it once, so it should be under the network logs from around noon today as an unregistered fireplace.”

The man – Ed – then said, “Hang on a second,” before he took out his wand and waved it towards a stack of drawers, one of them opening and a folder popping out of the drawer before landing on the desk, opening up to show its contents. He looked through and asked, “London, correct? On Baker Street?”

“Yes, that’s where we live,” my mom replied. “Flat 801-C.”

He looked further down the paper in front of him and smiled. “Okay, that is easily done! Good going, Ron!” He looked towards my mother. “Of course, as a Muggle, you will have to file some paperwork ensuring that you will keep the International Statute of Secrecy. It’s for security purposes, you understand, so that any Muggles who shouldn’t know about this don’t know about this.”

“Yes, of course. Where do I need to go for that?”

“You can actually do it right here! Organization has gotten so much better around here after some of our office members came across the Muggle Internet!” Ed seemed excited about it. “It’s simplified so many of our operations that we’re able to get things done in half the time and have them be more consolidated!” He took out a piece of paper that was in the file along with a quill and inkwell. “Some things are still a little old-fashioned, though, you understand. Just sign here… and here… and initial here and here.” It was relatively fast, considering how some stuff goes when Mom has to sign stuff. “All right, we will have a copy of this made and sent to you by owl that will be there by the end of the week. Now we just need to get your flat registered and we will be good to go!”

A few more minutes pass as paperwork is filled out, so I take the time to see if Zuko liked being pet. He turned out to be a lover of pets, and hooted in satisfaction.

“All right, there we go! That will be everything! Your flat is now registered with the Floo Network! Here is your first bit of floo powder,” he handed my mom a plastic zippered bag filled with the green powder (it was pretty large), “which is complimentary. Any more needed can be purchased at Diagon Alley. I’m sure you know the place. This is your access to the rest of the Wizarding world – something we used to bar to all Muggles, even parents of wizards and witches. We’ve expanded since then, thanks to the efforts of one Hermione Weasley and some companions of hers, but we’re still doing our best to keep the International Statute of Secrecy. Would you like a copy of the list of common places people go to using the Floo Network? It can act a bit like an address book, and there’s room at the end for you to add on addresses of any wizard or witch friends you make!”

“That would be wonderful, thank you,” my mom said with a smile. “You seem pretty excited about letting more Muggles into the Wizarding world.”

“Well, my parents are Muggles,” Ed explained. “They were never allowed to know much about my schooling – or my life in the Wizarding world. I felt distant, and it turns out that a lot of Muggleborns felt the same way. As such, the International Conference of Magic made a vote to make the parents of Muggleborns exempt to the International Statute of Secrecy so long as they keep it. The penalty if they break it is to have their memory wiped clean of any memory of the Wizarding world – security purposes, of course. It’s still relatively new – only passed about a decade ago – but since then, we’ve had no problems and it has been quite smooth sailing! I’m very happy to see other Muggleborns able to include their parents in their lives!

My mom chuckled. “I’m just glad that I’m able to be involved with my daughter no matter what,” she remarked. “I’m a Muggle witch, and I raised my daughter to be one, too. To find out that she’s a witch in this capacity is very strange and new, but I will be as supportive as ever.”

“Well, I’m very happy to hear that, Mrs. Smith.”

“Actually, just Miss Smith. My ex-husband and I finished the divorce proceedings earlier this year.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“It was for the best, anyway. I’m just glad I got custody of my daughter.”

“I’m sure you are. What brought you to Great Britain anyway?”

“I work for an international communications company. They offered me a job with an apartment in London and I accepted. I took Emily along with me.”

“Where did you use to live anyway?”

“America. New Jersey, to be precise. We didn’t live that far from New York City so we liked to take day trips there when we could. And by we I mean my little witch and I.” She ruffled my hair a little.

“Mom, stop! I worked hard on that!” I protested.

“You’re right, you’re right, I’m sorry,” my mom apologized, putting my hair back in place. “I should’ve asked first.”

“You and your daughter seem really close,” Ed remarked.

“We are. I’ve taught her everything I know about Muggle witchcraft, and I’ve done what I can in trying to help her learn how to control their powers ever since they first appeared.”

“Well, she’s very lucky to have a Muggle witch mother like yourself, Miss Smith.”

“Thank you. Can I call you Ed?”

“Sure thing! The business and pleasantries are over anyway! You want to stay for a tour of the Ministry offices or are you okay with just leaving?”

“Actually, we’re all going to Harry’s house to have dinner,” Mr. Weasley piped up. “We’ve invited them over, and we’re going after we’re done here.”

“Of course! It’ll be nice for him to have a nice quiet day with dinner with new people who don’t know anything about him!” Ed said with a smile.

“What do you mean?” my mom asked.

“You can ask him yourself!” Ed said. “It’s not my place to tell about what that man went through in his life. It’s his decision – like hers to let you touch her hair.”

My mom nodded. “I understand. Thank you again for helping us, Ed.”

“No problem! And I’ve already taken the liberty of writing my address down in your book in case you ever wish to send an owl or come over for tea on one of my off-days!”

She chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind. Have a good day, Ed.”

“You too, miss!”

“Honey, what do you say?”

“Thanks, Ed!” I said with a smile of my own.

“You too, little missy!” he replied with a wave. “Ron, you take care of your wife now, you hear? I hear she’s the new headmistress of Hogwarts after McGonagall retired!”

“She is, actually! It has been busy, but with Rose going to school now, it’s much easier for her to handle it. The only one who has to deal with any loneliness is me!” Mr. Weasley said.

“Well, I’m sure you can figure it out!” Ed pointed out. “Quiddich season is starting up soon! We could watch a few games together with some of the other guys!”

Mr. Weasley laughed. “You’ll have to owl me about that later, Ed. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“See ya tomorrow, Ron!” Ed said, sitting back down and going back to what he was doing before we came in.

Mr. Weasley led us out and said, “He’s a nice guy. He was a Hufflepuff, but had a knack for organization and felt more at home doing stuff like that than in most places.”

“Well, I’m sure he is a wonderful man who is very happy with his job,” my mom replied. “Now, don’t we have dinner to get to? I’m really craving some food.”

“Me, too!” I piped up.

Mr. Weasley laughed. “Well, we’d better hurry then!”

He lead us to the fireplaces again, and we soon found one that was empty. He took some green powder out of the pot while my mom and I went in, then he followed us in.

“12 Grimmauld Place!”


End file.
